Having discussions about legacies prior to a sporting event
has never made much sense to me.

It places too much emphasis on one man and puts him on the
hook for things may be beyond his control, and dismisses a full body of work in
favor of one game. Such thinking is often dumb, foolish and irresponsible.

What if a quarterback, whose legacy is determined to be on
the line, goes out and completes 70 percent of his passes for 395 yards and
loses a 56-49 game on a muffed punt? Is his reputation then marred? Or is that
loss on the punt returner and the defense?

Many others made it seem as though Peyton Manning's
entire career will be a joke if he fails to beat the New England Patriots this weekend --
even if he posts the above numbers and loses on a freak play, dropped pass or
some other event beyond his control. But he's on the field, so apparently it's all
on him.

As for Tom Brady, it's been decided that his only chance of
being considered the greatest ever will be by winning his fourth ring, which
would tie him with Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw for the most ever by a
quarterback. If he fails to get No. 4, Brady apparently will forever rest
behind Bradshaw in the quarterback rankings.

Maybe my view is obstructed and I am unable to see things
clearly, but Brady and Manning basically are who they are to me. They've played
in a combined 479 games, won numerous awards and have set countless records.
Could they enhance their legacies at this point? Sure, I suppose they could.

If Brady can lead the Patriots to a Super Bowl title after
losing Rob Gronkowski, Sebastian Vollmer, Vince Wilfork, Tommy Kelly, Jerod
Mayo and Brandon Spikes, that would be one of the more incredible feats of his
career. But I don't view his legacy as "being on the line," as has been said
countless times since Sunday. My view of who Brady is as a quarterback is
already formed.

The same goes for Manning. If he wins it all, he'll have put
a bow on one of the greatest seasons in history. That would be a nice feather
in his hat, but that's it. He is who he is to me, and that's a very talented
quarterback who has made some questionable decisions in big moments.

If he wins, is that put to rest? I can't say. He apparently
put his demons to rest in 2006, but has had some iffy moments since then, the
most recent being last year's 38-35 playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. So if
that is your thing, just remember the perception could change in a year.

As for me, I'll just enjoy watching these two great quarterbacks
throw passes Sunday afternoon. Who knows how many more times they'll be on the
field together? When it's all over, that is when I'll decide what I think of
each player's legacy.

But if you want an instant answer, I can confidently say
that they're two of the best ever. That's good enough for me.